Hanging By A Moment
by BreakTheWalls
Summary: ON HOLD! The residents of Rockhill have to deal with things in life such as: work, love, family, and friendship. Life can be rough, but they know every moment counts. AU universe. Collab with CelticPrincessx3.
1. Better In Time

**A/N:** _**This is a collab between CelticPrincessx3 and I. I have the odd chapters and she has the even chapters. We spent a good amount of time planning this out thoroughly. We hope that you readers find a pairing that you like.**_

* * *

 **HANGING BY A MOMENT** _ **  
**_Chapter 1: Better In Time

* * *

Charly Caruso-Balor grabbed her fraternal twin daughters', Finley and Teagan and walked out the door to take them to her best friend, Alexa Bliss' house before she got ready to head to the local news station, where she was one of the co-anchors. It was a tough task getting two five year olds ready. They were in kindergarten and it was a lot easier to handle them than it was at the very beginning of the school year.

With her husband on the road the majority of the time due his job as a big time soccer player, it felt like she lived the single parent life more often than not. It was a whole lot easier whenever her husband was home because the girls could sleep in and she could sleep in and leave later to head to her job. Sure, being at her job at 5am was still very early, but she could cherish that extra hour of sleep as opposed to waking up and dealing with five year olds who were not morning people.

Alexa was such an angel in disguise for taking her kids to school during the week. Alexa surely didn't mind because not only was she Charly's best friend, she was also the girls' gymnastics coach. Whenever Charly pulled up to Alexa's house, Alexa was already there waiting on the girls. The brunette opened the backseat door to her blue Mazda CX-5 and let the girls get out so they could walk inside. Charly followed them inside the house and she kissed Finly and Teagan on the cheek before the girls walked into Alexa's living room and took a seat on the couch.

"Rough morning?" The blonde asked, shutting the door behind her.

The brunette merely nodded her head. "It was a pain to get the girls ready this morning. Finley didn't want to wake up and Teagan just wanted to be deliberately slow. Like does it really take ten minutes for someone to brush their teeth?"

Alexa couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sorry Char, you know I love you, but that's pretty funny."

"I'm glad you find my trouble with my twins hilarious." Alexa merely shrugged and Charly stuck her tongue out at her best friend. "I'm just ready for Finn to be home. I keep on telling myself two more days and then he'll be home."

"I can't imagine how hard it is taking care of two five year olds in the morning. I bet you're glad they're at least fraternal twins so you don't have the extra job of telling them apart."

"If they were identical, I wonder what kind of mother I would be if I couldn't tell my own kids apart after five years? But yes, it was nice to have fraternal twins, especially when they were infants." Charly snickered to herself at the thought of having identical twins. Having two kids at the same time was hard enough, but she wouldn't trade her two delicate flowers for anything. "Well, I got to go. Thanks again for taking the girls to school for me. I'll come pick them up from your gym this evening when I get done with the 6pm news."

"You know it's not a problem. The girls are no trouble with me." Alexa opened the door to let Charly go and watched as Charly took off to head the news station.

The blonde beauty loved her best friend, but she envied her too. Not only was Charly a successful news anchor alongside Renee Young, she had the perfect husband; whom even though wasn't home all the time, Charly didn't have to deal with any infidelity with Finn. And to top off everything, Charly had the most wonderful daughters anyone could ever ask for.

As far as she was concerned, she was some has-been gymnast who was single and probably wasn't even close to getting married. While she was blessed she own her own gymnastics studio and she got to work with some of the cutest and sweetest girls she'd ever met, she wonders everyday what would've happened if she hadn't suffered that torn ACL after a mistake on the vault. That was even her first injury to her ACL; she had a previous injury to that same extremity after getting into a bad car accident when she was seventeen. She didn't want to risk injury again so she decided to retire from gymnastic altogether and just coach girls who had aspirations to be a gymnast when they grew up.

Alexa sighed to herself and went to living room to hang out with Teagan and Finley, who were taking a nap before they had to leave for school at 7:15am. She cut on the TV and decided to watch some random show that was on until the morning news came on, where she saw Charly and Renee in action.

* * *

Carmella Van Dale sighed as she looked into her now half empty condo. Her and her boyfriend of three years, Cass, who's name was actually Colin Cassidy, but he preferred to be called Cass, broke up two days ago and she told him that she wanted his belongings out of the condo by the end of the week. And behold, when she got home from her job, all of this belongings were indeed gone. It just hit her from the moment she walked through the door and saw that none of his belongings were there that they were actually over.

What sucked the most is this condo she was living in by herself now was just bought by them together not even two months ago. They were going strong until they moved in together and then it seemed like their relationship went downhill. They were fighting all the time over stupid things. To be honest, she can't even recall what half of their arguments were even about; they were that petty.

She was so tired of always fighting with him that she just decided to end things once and for all. While she was bummed right now, she knew it was better for her sanity in the end.

Plus, she got a promotion today at work. She went from an assistant to being a team member of Public Relations for the company Bond St. Lingerie, which was a well known boutique located in Las Vegas. Their brand was referenced in big time magazines like Cosmopolitan and Elle. It was so exciting. She would get to pick the pictures that would go in magazines to represent the brand and she also gets to work with other companies to spread the word about the brand she worked for.

Just the thought of that made her forget for a moment that her and her ex-boyfriend of three years just broke up. One good thing came from that though, she got to put all her focus on her work with out Cass making her feel bad about it. She was also nervous because she would be working close and personal with the CEO of Bond St. Lingerie, Roman Reigns, who took over the company from his mother, who decided to retire and hand the reigns over to her son. Roman was a very attractive man and it made Carmella even more nervous at the thought of working alongside him.

After all, she just got done talking with him and he was the one who gave her the promotion. So, he obviously saw some potential in her, which made her nerves decline. He was very personable and it made Carmella grateful that she worked for such a humble boss. That made her love her job even more.

Thinking about the most positive thing that happened to her this week instead of the most negative thing, she put a smile on her beautiful face and headed to her bedroom to change her clothes and then pour herself a glass of wine, hoping to wind down for the night.

Shooting some text messages to her best friends: Corey Graves and Renee Young, which she was sure they would be together at this point considering they were a couple, she told them about the promotion she received. She also sent messages to her oldest friend: Alexa Bliss and another good friend of hers: Charly Caruso-Balor.

* * *

Adam Cole was setting up the finishing touches to his bar before opening began. He co-owned a bar and grill with fellow Rockhill native, Johnny Gargano. Him and Johnny had been friends ever since high school and their friendship only got stronger over the years. While Adam dealt with the bar, Gargano dealt with the restaurant. They decided to name their bar and grill: Flambeaus. It was the most popular place in Rockhill to eat and drink. There was a patio connected and one could see the mountainous views for miles. That was the main attraction of their restaurant.

While the restaurant opened at 4pm, the bar part didn't open until 6pm. The restaurant part was opened until 11pm and the bar part was closed until 1am; so it was a far trade. It was about 6:45pm now, so he was ready for most of his regulars to come waltzing in the door. And just like that, most of his regulars were making their way into the bar. However, there was a blonde walking his direction that had pink in her hair.

She was the gymnastics coach, Alexa Bliss, who at one time had the most potential of any gymnast out there. He read her story in the local Rockhill newspaper and on the news and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. He'd heard that she came to Rockhill because she loved the mountainous atmosphere and it was where she could get a fresh start. They chatted once or twice, but it was nothing more than just brief small talk.

Her arrival at his bar certainly intrigued him. She did see her come in quite often with her good friend, Charly and her twins that she had with international soccer player Finn Balor, but of course they didn't come into the bar considering they were with little kids. What intrigued him more was that she was alone for the night.

Adam walked over towards the petite blonde woman and flashed her his most charming smile. "Alexa Bliss, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well, Adam, I decided that I finally decided to check your bar out. As much as I've been here to eat, this is the first time that I've actually walked into your bar. I hope Gargano doesn't get mad that I'm deciding to be your customer instead of his."

Adam smirked. "I'm sure he'll be fine. We do co-own this place. He just runs the restaurant part and I run the bar. It is nice of you to grace me with your presence though." He shot her another smirk. "So, what can I get for you?"

"I'll take a frozen strawberry margarita please." He walked away and made her drink. A few minutes later he returned with her drink of choice. "Glad I could make Adam Cole's night." Alexa shot him a smile which was reciprocated. His smile made her insides feel all tingly. This was the first time she'd seen him smile directly at her and she couldn't help but realize how handsome of a man he really was. He had the perfect amount of facial hair and the most beautiful long brown hair she'd seen. She talked to the guy a handful of times and here she was feeling all fluttery on the inside. That's when she realized she has been single for way too long.

"It's always a good night whenever a beautiful lady like yourself walks in here." Alexa was indeed a beautiful woman to him. He found her to be even more adorable now that she was blushing at what he just said to her. "So, where is Charly and the twins at? Every time you walk in here, you're always with them."

Alexa took a sip from her margarita. "She decided to just be at home with the girls tonight. Plus, I was having a rough day, so I just wanted to kinda be by myself."

Her answer raised some concerns within him. "Why are you having a rough day?"

"Today is the anniversary of me retiring from my potential gymnastics career. Even though it's the fourth year, it's just something that's hard to deal with every year." A silent tear rolled down her cheek. "That's pretty pathetic, huh?"

"It's not pathetic at all, Alexa," The bartender wholeheartedly replied. "You had such great potential and it sucks that you had to retire due to your injury. I think you have every right to feel the way you do." Adam couldn't help but feel sympathy for the blonde beauty sitting before him.

Alexa wasn't sure why she never had a full blown conversation with Adam until now, but he seemed like a pretty chill guy. He seemed genuine with his actions. She knew where she would spending the rest of her evening. After all, she was a paying customer and she was going to take advantage of it.

* * *

 **A/N:** _**What did you think? Please let us know your thoughts. Thanks for reading.**_

 **xo,**  
 _ **Kimberly and Danie**_


	2. Chance Encounters

**an.** this is only an introduction to some of my characters. You will meet more of the characters for my chosen pairings in my next update. :) You will see the rest of my characters [and probably more from these characters] in chapter 4 - danie.

* * *

 **HANGING BY A MOMENT**  
Chapter 2: Chance Encounters

* * *

AJ collected her belongings from her cubicle, dropping them into a large cardboard box. She let out a huff of dissatisfaction as she turned to find her boss leaning, smirking, against the doorway to her office. She would have loved to walk right up to the bitch and slap her across the face, but the last thing she needed was an assault charge to add to the list of horrible things that had happened to her that week.

 _It's not like the two-face skank didn't deserve it though..._

After collecting up the last of her belongs, she grabbed her leather moto-jacket off the chair and put it on. She grabbed the box and, with her head held high, walked past her boss to the elevator. She pressed the down button with one finger and stepped through the large metal doors once they slid open.

She gave a sigh of relief once she was on the elevator and the doors had closed. Tears stung her eyes and she squeezed them shut.

Ding - ding - ding.

She counted the floors as the elevator made its descent to the ground floor. She opened her eyes when she finally reached the ground floor and stepped out into the lobby of the office building. She rushed across the lobby and through the revolving doors and onto the street.

The sunny day was an intense contrast to her disheartened demeanor. She had only made it to the end of the block before the tears she had been so desperately trying to fight began to fall. She flagged down a taxi and climbed into the backseat, setting her box of belongings beside her. She gave directions to the driver to take her to the apartment she had, up until three days ago, shared with her ex-fiance. She had to pick up the last of her things before heading back to the hotel where she had been staying.

She sat quietly in the back, letting the tears slowly fall as she stared out at streets of Rockhill, Nevada. It was a short drive to the old industrial building where AJ had lived with her fiance of two years, Phil Brooks. The driver parked the cab in front of the back doors and promised to wait there until she had collected her things. She thanked him as she climbed out of the backseat. She quickly wiped her eyes as she entered the building.

It was a quick walk up to the third floor where their loft was located. She knocked twice before entering and then stepped inside. Phil was on the couch, his feet up on an ottoman. She didn't say anything to him as she crossed the room and went up the open staircase to the room they used to share.

As she grabbed her five piece luggage set out of the closet and began to pull the rest of her clothes off of the hangers, her mind began to wander. She looked out at the king size bed and frowned.

 _It was hard to believe it had only been four days since she had come home to find him cheating on her with her boss._

She bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. She had already shed enough tears for their relationship and if she was being honest with herself, he didn't deserve to have the control over her he had. She shouldn't be heartbroken over him, not after everything he did.

She crammed the rest of her clothes into one of the suitcases and the rest of her shoes into another. She then used the last of the three to collect her the rest of her comics, books, jewelry, movies, mail and cds. She zipped them up and turned to find Phil standing in the doorway.

"You know you don't have to do this, we were happy.. We can be happy again. We can work this out. You don't have to go."

She shook her head, "You threw everything we had away the second you jumped into bed with her. She grabbed the handles of two of the suitcases and made her way toward the doorway.

"April, please. What I did, it was a mistake. . ."

"Well then, it's a mistake you are going to have to live with. Now, get out of my way."

He stepped to the side and her heart sank. She had hoped he would put up more of a fight. It was clear he didn't care about her, not like he used to. He was far too willing to let her go and in that moment she knew she had made the right choice, no matter how difficult it was.

* * *

Liv Morgan stepped out into the cool night breeze. She was relieved to finally be done with work. The sun was just setting over the mountains and she stopped for a second to take in the beautiful sight. The mesh of pinks, blues and purples was so soothing after a long day beneath the fluorescent lights in the emergency ward of St. Luke's Medical Center.

The blonde pulled her keys out of her purse, trying to decide what toppings she wanted on her pizza, when an ambulance rushed in, sirens blaring. She turned her attention toward the vehicle as the back doors flew open.

One of the paramedics jumped out of the back. His long black hair was pulled back out of his face and he wore green gloves that were splattered crimson. She recognized him as one of the newest employees, Seth Rollins. He and another paramedic, one that she recognized from around the hospital, but could not remember by name, pulled the patient out of the back of the ambulance and rushed him inside.

She shook off the sight, knowing there was nothing she could now unless they called her in, and once again reached into her purse. This time she found her car keys and pulled them out. She walked across the crowded parking lot toward her white sedan. She had just slipped into the passenger seat and was about to start the engine when her cell phone rang. She sighed and grabbed it from the side pocket of her purse and checked the caller id.

 _ **AJ.**_

Liv quickly swiped her finger across the screen to answer the call. "Hey chica, what's up?"

Her best friend sighed on the other end of the line. "Hey Liv. Nothing good, I am afraid."

"What happened hunny?" Liv frowned at her friend's tone. It was obvious something bad had happened.

"The wicked bitch of the west fired me." AJ responded, voice cracking.

"Oh sweetie. I am so sorry. Where are you? What are you going to do?"

She heard AJ take several deep breaths before answering, "I am back at the hotel. I don't have anywhere else to go. Can you believe that jerk tried to get me stay with him. After what he did."

"He has some nerve." Liv agreed. "You can't stay at that hotel forever you know. Especially now."

"I know, Liv. I'll figure something out. I am going to have to start looking for something in the morning. I just couldn't do it tonight. I was too emotionally drained."

"I understand that. I can't even imagine. Everything he has done to you. If he could have kept it in his pants you wouldn't even have to worry about this right now."

She heard AJ's sniffle and sighed, knowing she had gone too far. She knew her friend was angry at Phillip Brooks and that deep down AJ knew he didn't deserve any kindness from her, but she had still loved him and that kind of emotion doesn't just go away because someone does you wrong.

"I'm sorry." Liv offered, resting her head back against driver's seat. She should just keep her mouth shut and let her friend get everything off her chest so she would feel better. She just wished there was some way she could help her.

"Hey! I got an idea. Why don't you just come stay with me. I have the spare room in my apartment. It's not much, but it would work until you can find a new place and you won't have to worry about rent."

"Liv. I couldn't do that. I couldn't intrude…."

"Oh come on! It will be fun, just like College. You know you miss hanging out with me all the time." Liv smiled at the idea of having her friend around more often.

AJ laughed on the other end of the line. "I do miss it and it would be a lot of fun."

"Then that is settled. I will stop by Lorenzo's and get a pizza and then pick you up. I should be there - - -" Liv glanced at her clock. "In about thirty minutes. Make sure you are all packed up. You aren't stepping foot in that crummy hotel again."

"Thanks Liv. I don't know what I would do without you."

"You know I love you. What are friends for? See ya soon."

"Bye."

Liv ended the call, then called her favorite pizza place on speed-dial. After ordering their dinner she tucked her phone into her purse. She backed out of the parking space and sped out of the lot. Once out onto the street and a respectful distance from the hospital, she turned on the stereo.

 _But your love, it hit me hard, girl Yeah, you're bad for my health I love the cards, that I've been dealt Do you feel the same as well?_

Liv sang along with the music as she drove down the narrow city streets toward Lorenzo's. She couldn't wait until she got to the hotel to see AJ. It felt like it had been months since they had seen each other.

 _With both of their busy schedules maybe it had._

She turned the corner on East Second Street and gasped as she heard a loud popping sound and the car swerved to the side. She eased the car to side of the road and stepped out. She ran around the side of the car to find a blown out back tire. She cursed under breath and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. What was she going to do now?

She grabbed her phone and purse and out of the car. She first called AJ to tell her it was going to take longer than expected. She then called Lorenzo's to tell them she would be late picking up the pizza. Once both phone calls were made she opened the web browser to look for a towing company or mechanic that was still open.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she found a mechanic with a tow truck within three miles that was still open. Could she have been more lucky?

She pressed the call now button on the browser and leaned up against the car.

"Hello, Ambrose Automotive Services. How can I help you?"

"Yes, hello. My name is Liv Morgan and my tire blew out on the corner of East Second Street. I was hoping you could help me."

The man on the other end of the phone laughed and Liv frowned.

"What is so funny about that?" Liv demanded, her temper rising. Who was this man to laugh at her. Fixing cars was his _job._

"You don't know how to change a tire?" His voice was still laced with humor, but he had stopped laughing.

"Oh, I am sorry. I guess I missed the class on changing tires when I was in NURSING SCHOOL." Liv clenched her fist tightly. How dare he make fun of her. Not everyone was mechanically inclined.

"Alright, alright. I get it. You are smart. Whatever. I will be there in ten minutes." He hung up without waiting for her reply.

Liv huffed, still fuming. She was, over all, a patient person, but she didn't take kindly to being treated like she was stupid. She leaned against the car, arms crossed, and waited for the mechanic.

After a few minutes - seven she realized after a quick glance at her watch - he arrived, pulling the tow truck into an empty space in front of her car. The front door opened and a tall, thin albeit muscular, man with shaggy dirty blond hair jumped out of the front seat. He grabbed a large metal tool box out of the back and walked over to hre car.

"Do you have a tire, Miss Morgan?" He asked.

She nodded and popped the truck with her thob. He opened the hidden compartment and pulled out the spare tire. He got down on the sidewalk and made quick work of jacking the car up and removing the hubcap, placing the nuts inside and laying it on the sidewalk so they didn't spill. He pulled the remnants of the bad tire off and set them aside before putting on the new tire. He then replaced the hubcap and nuts. After lowering the car he picked up his tools and the old tire.

"There you go, ma'am." He said as he headed back toward the car. He tossed the old tire and the tool box in the back.

"Wait, how much do I owe you?" Liv asked, pulling her checkbook out of her purse.

"This call is free of charge." He said with a smile. "I realized I might have been a bit hard on you before. The least I can do is fix your tire for you." He climbed in the front of the truck and started the engine. "Have a good night, Miss Morgan." He rolled up the window without giving her a chance to respond.

She watched, stunned, as he pulled away from the curb. He nodded his head as he drove away.

She sighed and climbed into the front seat of his car. It was good he had realized he should have been so judgmental, but that wasn't a good enough excuse not to pay her bill. She would have to stop by the shop in the morning and insist on paying.

For now, she had a friend and an extra large pepperoni pizza waiting for her.

* * *

Maryse Ouellet sat at her desk, fingers flying over the keyboard as she typed up the first draft of a wedding plan for her latest client. They had met the day before and the bride had specifically wanted an elegant, modern wedding. Maryse believed she would be happy with the plans she had for her big day.

She looked up as the door to her office opened. Her secretary stepped inside. "Maryse, your 12 o'clock appoint is here. They are very eager to meet you."

"Send them in. I just finished my initial plan for the Miller wedding."

Her secretary left the room, leaving the door open as Maryse printed the plan and grabbed an empty binder out of her filing cabinet. She turned around just as a striking blonde in white, wide legged pants and black cami entered the room. She was tall and slender and her brown eyes were lightly rimmed with liner and pink eyeshadow.

"Thank you so much for meeting with us, Miss Ouellet. You do such stunning work. I cannot believe you will be the one planning my wedding." She had a thick accent. She reached out and took Maryse's hands in hers, squeezing them gently and smiled.

"It is my pleasure. I enjoy making others' dreams come true. Please, have a seat. Will the groom be joining us as well?"

"Yes. I sent him back to the car to get my folder. I have a few ideas I would like you to see…. And I left them in the car."

"That is no problem. I am just going to get my organizer sheet and when he gets here we can start discussing all of of your ideas -" Maryse glanced down at her open planner, "Lana. Why don't you look at this venue catalog while I get the sheet" Maryse handed the smiling blonde a thick binder before turning back toward her filing cabinet. She pulled one of the organizer sheets out of the corresponding manilla folder. "What day are you planning this wedding for?"

"July, 21st, It's a saturday." Lana replied.

"Lovely. Saturdays are perfect for weddings and there is still plenty of time to book the venue.'

Maryse turned around just as the sound of heavy footfalls filled the room. She didn't bother to look up from the organizer as she walked back to her seat.

"Wonderful, Darling you're here!" Lana announced. "Maryse, this is my fiance, Mike."

Maryse looked up to greet her client and her heart stopped. She blinked repeatedly, staring into an all-too-familiar pair of crystal blue eyes. She knew he recognized her too. How could he not? He frowned as he looked at her.

She quickly regained her composure and forced a smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Mike. Please have a seat."

Mike looked at her, confusion etched across his handsome features, as he took the seat beside his fiance. He placed the folder on Maryse's desk.

"Okay, so first of all. I definitely want a modern themed wedding. I absolutely love the beach, but unfortunately Mikey doesn't think it is practical to have the actual wedding at the beach so, I am willing to settle for having it at the Aquarium or at the Lake on the waterfront." Lana pouted her lips as she looked at her fiance, obviously hoping for one last chance to convince him to whisk her away to some beach for a fairytale wedding.

"What do you think, Mike?" Maryse asked.

"I would prefer something more, traditional, but the lakefront would be nice too."

She saw the glimmer of disappointment in Lana's eyes, "Okay so a beautiful, modern, lakefront wedding. Perhaps at sunset."

Lana gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. "That would be so stunning. Oh, Mike we have to have the wedding at sunset. Can you imagine the wedding photos?"

"And the lodge by the lakefront is breath-taking. I can set you up a beautiful evening reception there."

"That sounds lovely, Maryse." Mike smiled slightly as he held Lana's hand. "My fiance was right about you. It seems like you know exactly what you are doing and you will make sure we have a beautiful wedding."

"That is my job and trust me I take great pride in giving all of my clients their dream wedding."

"I am sure you do." He smirked. "What else did you want for the wedding, sweetie?" He turned his attention toward Lana who beamed at him. It was obvious how deeply in love she was.

"I would love blues, whites, and greys for the color scheme."

"Maybe a touch of yellow for the bouquet? To add a little pop?" Maryse made a popping motion with her fingers and smiled. "Trust me. They will be beautiful."

"I trust you!" Lana nodded her head. "I have seen so many of your weddings featured in magazines. Everything is always so stunning."

"Well. How about we stop here for now. Tonight I will work on an initial plan and we will meet again tomorrow evening and make some revisions?"

"That sounds perfect!"

"Five o'clock then. I will look forward to seeing you." Maryse stood up and shook both of their hands.

After the happy couple left Maryse flopped down in her seat, her legs feeling weak. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to sooth her pounding heart.

She had never thought she would Michael Mizanin again and now she was planning his wedding.

His wedding with _another woman._

She sighed and put her head in her hands.

 _Was she going to be able to handle this?_

 _Was she going to be able to handle being near him again?_

She knew, of course...that only time would tell.

She just hoped she could her feelings in check.

* * *

 **an.** Hope everyone enjoys chapter two. Thanks for reading.


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